Colts need to learn from Andrew Luck experience and protect Anthony Richardson better

This is not the most encouraging start to Richardson's career, even if he has shown a lot of positive things on the field when he has played. 

The Colts need to be mindful of what happened with their previous highly drafted quarterback, Andrew Luck, who took a physical beating early in his career. It did not end well for anybody. 

The Colts drafted Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in the hopes that he could stop the revolving door of quarterbacks that has taken place in Indianapolis following the sudden retirement of Luck before the 2019 season. His potential is enormous, and it made him one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2023 class. He is a monster physically (6-foot-4, 232 pounds) with a cannon for an arm and incredible athleticism. The biggest knocks on him coming out of the University of Florida were his lack of experience (just one year as a starter) and some inconsistency with his accuracy. 

None of that will matter, however, if the Colts cannot protect him.

They did a notoriously awful job with Luck and allowed him to take such a beating that he only played in five full seasons before retiring. Along the way he missed half of one season (2015) and all of another (2017) before eventually calling it a career at age 29. They routinely ignored the offensive line along the way. The Colts have not drafted an offensive lineman higher than the third round since 2018 and have only taken one higher than the fourth round during that time. 

Young quarterbacks who take a lot of hits and do not have help around them do not tend to do well long term. They lose confidence, they get injured and sometimes (like Luck) they retire.

The Colts need to make sure they do not repeat the mistakes they made with Luck if they are going to properly develop Richardson and become a consistent Super Bowl contender again.